5 Years post op ! How is everyone doing?

Hi MayDay club folks...how are you all doing? If you are 5 years post op this month...what has happened on your journey? I have been doing well. New job, lots of dating and am enjoying life. I gained back 28 lbs from my original loss. Its funny how you can eat now almost normal... hey I wish all of you the best out there...xox Kathy In Massachusetts

Hi, I also had my surgery in May of 2002 and am doing well. Lost 147 pounds initially but over the last couple of years have regained about 40. I have just gotten back on the post-surgery diet and exercise routine and lost about 8 of that so far. I plan to spent the summer taking off the rest. I have went back to my support group but find they focus on pre-op teaching and support and not much at all on long term issues, falling back into bad habits etc. Juanita in Oregon

hey, just had my 5 yr anniversary, well it was on the 5th.. hard to believe it has been 5 yrs now..seems like so long ago. i got to thin, down to 107 and size 0. but was finally able to gain..prob is because i had to start drinking while i ate to get in more calories i can't stop now. i am in a size 4-8 depends on the make. 150lbs now. i have been stable at that weight for almost a yr now. i do find i have to keep a close eye on the carbs i eat or they do go to my hips. i got divorced and remarried. i actually married a postie from the chatroom. he is doing awesome!

It is funny how when the weight is coming off, you swear you will never gain any of it back. But like you at 5 years out I have gained some of the weight back. I am working on trying to get it back off, but it is a lot slower this go round. Its great to see that some older post ops still visit this site. I use to read it daily. Glad life is going good for you.

Hi Debby, Thanks for your comments. I think coming back to this site a month or so ago after pretty much ignoring it over the past 3 years was my attempt to get back to good eating habits and remember why I got gastric bypass surgery in the first place. I think most of us long term posties lose the light so to speak after getting our weight down...a smug kind of "I made it!" feeling comes over you after you get down to a size 8 and you stop visiting the site and forget sometimes that you even had the surgery. I visit about once a week now and answer some of the starters' questions to help them along on their journey. I guess I am just jumping back in the ring to lose weight the old fashioned way as they say because once you are 5 years post op, the surgery is not really a help any more. Like you, I used to read posts every day, sometimes twice a day while I was pre-op and early post op. I kept a weight diary and logged in what I ate and how many inches I lost. Gaining back weight has been embarrassing and it gives me a sense of failing at the greatest gift ever given me. I hover in the 150 area and my original low of 127 lbs seems quite distant now. I have a mini stepper coming Friday and I plan to at least get some small workouts back into my routine in life. Take care everyone. Be careful and rememeber why you had this done...and that you do NOT want to go back to where you came from weight wise. Thanks again Debby for your note. Kathy

I am 10 years out. I gained a little bit. I think the most was I gained 50 lbs. But that was because I went through Major depression, Lost family member, new baby in the family, a big wedding, family had a major fight and broke up......and I had a break up and didn't care, and most important stop EXERCISING. I didn't care. I ate everything you can imagine. a whole Sarah lee cheesecake, then peppridge farm cake and everything you can imagine. Then I said why am I am doing this. I work so hard. Then went back to exercising. Eating healthy. My stomach is still small as a new person who had the surgery. I still have trouble eating a lot and maintain calories. So I would eat constantly back then. now......I went back to normal. But that was a blip in my life. I lost all of it and here I am.......wondering if I am ready to do plastic surgery. They say the more you loose the better. I am still loosing slowly. But maybe I am there already. I don't know yet.

 

But I am doing good. I lost a lot. But exercise and watching what you eat is the key. The surgery is a tool. Have to remember that. Plus I know other people (my mom)....she stretch her stomach. But she eats the wrong food that I cant even touch if I wanted to. Love to hear how other people are doing.